Greg Laurie and Harvest Christian Fellowship have been a transformative part of my life and ministry. A focal point of the 2023 film Jesus Revolution, Laurie first accepted Jesus in the early 1970s when the gospel captivated his community of fellow hippies. His faith journey led him to become a pastor, and what began as a 30-person Bible study group in Riverside, California, exploded into a 15,000-member, multicampus church with campuses in California and Hawaii.
Following Billy Graham’s example, Laurie launched Harvest Crusades in Southern California in 1990. These massive outreach events began in Anaheim Stadium and eventually expanded globally, filling stadiums with people eager to hear God’s message. Millions of people have encountered God’s Word through these events.
As a high schooler in the ’80s, I’d bring friends—sometimes even kids I had met at the beach—down to Laurie’s Sunday night services at Harvest Christian Fellowship. Those nights were unforgettable. They’d feature Christian concerts and culminate in powerful altar calls that often left the aisles flooded with people responding to the gospel. That ministry was my go-to for introducing others to Christ because Laurie’s ability to connect through his preaching and creative storytelling was unparalleled.
It’s incredible to think how deeply interwoven my own story has been with his, from those formative experiences as a teenager to my involvement in his ministry’s projects today.
Jesus People Gathering Lives
Harvest Christian Fellowship’s most recent campus is in the historic town center of Kapalua, Maui. This unique and picturesque location deeply influenced the campus’ vision and design. Its big idea, “To Gather Lives,” was inspired by the hina’i, a traditional woven basket used to trap fish. This concept resonated deeply with the biblical metaphor of becoming fishers of men and served as a perfect synthesis of local culture and the global mission of Harvest Ministries.
Underpinning and guiding our designs is the character of Harvest Christian Fellowship: Open, Loving, Original, Loud and Accessible. Greg and the Jesus People who make up Harvest lean into the unconventional and the spectacular, seeking to reach the outcast and the jaded who desperately need Christ.
“Harvest Maui has been a cornerstone of ministry in West Maui for over 40 years, sharing the good news of Jesus with the local community and visitors from around the world,” says Josh Morris, executive director at Harvest Church. “While our mission is to serve and reach the people of West Maui, Maui’s status as a premier vacation destination allows us to extend our reach far beyond the island. Our church has become a missional outpost, touching the lives of countless visitors who experience our ministry while vacationing here.
“The only limitation we’ve faced in fulfilling this mission has been the size of our building. That’s why we are thrilled to announce our move into a new facility—a space that will more than double our capacity to make an impact across the island. This new location will feature a larger worship center, significantly expanded children’s ministry areas, and ample space for community outreach events. We are excited to see how God will use this new facility to shine his light even brighter in West Maui and beyond.”
Harvest’s Kumulani Maui campus began as a church plant that previously met at an electric golf cart charging station at Kapalua, the Maui Land & Pineapple Company’s agricultural village. Kapalua, located on an abandoned golf course and overlooking the ocean, is characterized by a charming agrarian complex of corrugated metal buildings and simple industrial structures. Harvest had been gathering at this ramshackle indoor-outdoor structure for some time, with the spectacular ocean view as its backdrop.
A Vision for Maui
Two sites are part of the Harvest Kumulani Maui project: a temporary location and a permanent campus. The temporary campus is almost complete; the church repurposed existing structures, such as a barn and modular trailers, from the ML&P headquarters. This sprawling site sits adjacent to emergency workforce housing—a response to the devastating Lahaina wildfires. Our team transformed the space into a village green with boardwalks, string lights and spaces for worship and ministry, crafted with a unique fusion of mid-century and distinctive Hawaiian-inspired design.
Harvest’s permanent Maui campus is still under design, and this is where the vision truly comes to life. Its design integrates traditional Hawaiian architectural elements with colonial plantation styles and incorporates a striking vertical structure inspired by the Hawaiian fish trap that’s oriented for maximum visibility. This serves as a physical representation of the church’s mission and connection to the community. We’ve even infused mid-century Southern California surf culture elements into the aesthetic, a nod to the historical link between Hawaii and California surfing introduced by Duke Kahanamoku.
From the early design concepts to the adaptive reuse of the temporary site, my team at PlainJoe has worked closely with Harvest Kumulani Maui and its leadership to ensure that the project serves the local community and reflects Harvest Christian Fellowship’s heart for evangelism. Seeing this vision evolve has been an incredible journey—from sharing dinner with Laurie and his wife, Cathe, in the early days of concept design to walking the grounds of these new Maui campuses.
Through story, creativity and impactful leadership Harvest Kumulani Maui will continue to connect people to the gospel in ways that resonate across generations and cultures. Being part of this work in Maui has been a privilege, and I can’t wait to see how this project impacts the local community and beyond.
Learn more: Harvest.church/campus/maui/